The South Coast Bikeway Alliance formed a team of 139 residents to compete in a national biking challenge.

The alliance — uniting advocates for pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly roads across the South Coast — have participated in the National Bike Challenge for the past three years, logging their mileage between May 1 and September 30.

“It’s your own challenge,” said Sandra Medeiros, Dartmouth’s top female cyclist. “You can challenge yourself or your neighbors or friends. It’s up to you how much you ride and how often.”

Medeiros logged 798 miles before attending the season end ceremony on September 17 at the Dartmouth YMCA. Medeiros said she not only enjoys the flexibility the challenge offers, but said it helps to raise awareness for the organization and its goal of providing safe places to ride.

“I’m happy to promote the alliance,” Medeiros said. “Every year we try to involve more people in the challenge.”

This year, cyclists from 12 cities and towns helped the South Coast Bikeway Alliance team rack up more 70,270 miles and burn more than three million calories, earning the team the first place title in Massachusetts. Out of 1,871 national teams, the Bikeway Alliance placed 17th.

Dartmouth resident Larry Schwartz had the third best record for the South Coast team. Schwartz has been riding for more than 20 years, so it wasn’t a challenge for him to join the team, nor does he need additional motivation to pedal, he said. Schwartz estimated that so far this year, he has biked a total of 9,000 miles. During the winter, he spends time in Arizona, which allows him to stay on his bike 12 months out of the year.